Halloween is next week and that means lots and lots of candy! We always buy too much candy for our trick-or-treaters and our son always comes home with more than he can eat…or more than I will let him eat. I love using leftover Halloween candy to create delicious treats! The candy isn’t sweet enough so I have to make cookies, brownies, and popcorn:)

If you are looking for ways to use up your Halloween candy this year, make sure you try my favorite Leftover Halloween Candy Recipes! And if you don’t have any Halloween candy leftover, you can go buy new candy. I won’t tell:)

Hip Hip Hooray for apple season! I am loving all of the varieties of apples that are at the farmers markets and stores. Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonigold, Golden Delicious…and the list goes on. I love them all!

Basil is my all-time favorite herb and I am so excited it is in season. There is nothing like fresh basil!

There are several species of basil, but the most common is sweet basil. It is often used for caprese salad, pesto, tomato sauces, and to liven up Italian dishes.

To harvest fresh basil, clip the stem where it extends from a two-leaf joint. A new stem and leaf will grow from this point. Continuing to clip and use the basil while it is young and tender keeps the leaves and stems from maturing and forming buds and blooms. If the plant flowers, the basil will have a slightly bitter taste so try to keep basil plants trimmed!

If you harvest more than you can use, you can place the basil in a jar of water and store it on the counter for a few days. You can also freeze basil! To prevent the basil from wilting and turning brown, blanch the basil first. Chill and pat the basil dry and put the leaves in a blender or food processor and puree, adding enough extra-virgin olive oil to make a smooth paste. Freeze the basil in ice cube trays for easy use! You can also make batches of pesto to freeze.

If you are looking for ways to use up your summer basil, here are a few of my favorite basil recipes!

I love to make special, non-alcoholic drinks for friends and family; not having a mini bar should not mean you are destined only to a glass of water all evening! Start with pretty bottles (I purchased mine at IKEA; they are pictured above) and good ingredients and you’ll be on your way to a delightful evening. Since black currant juice is a beautiful, deep color and boasts a tartness that cannot be beat, it’s a great base to this simple, but delicious drink. Please note that each of these ingredients can be found at Trader Joe’s. Enjoy!

Avocados are in season and I can’t stop eating them! They are so good right now! If you are looking for new avocado recipes to make this summer, give these 12 must make avocado recipes a try. They are all winners!

Asparagus is in season and that makes me very happy! I love asparagus and I am so happy it is back in the grocery stores. If you aren’t familiar with the popular spring vegetable, here are a few tips to help you enjoy asparagus this spring.

When picking out asparagus at the store, look for stems that are straight, firm, and deep green in color. The tips should be closed with no flowering. Make sure the asparagus spears aren’t dry or wilted.

To help keep the asparagus spears fresh, wrap the ends in a damp paper towel or place in a jar of water. Place the asparagus in the refrigerator for no longer than 2-3 days before using.

Before cooking, cut off the woody ends of the asparagus, about 1-2 inches from the bottom of the spears. Discard the tough ends.

You can cook asparagus in a variety of ways. It is good steamed, sautéed, roasted, and grilled.

Do you have your Easter menu planned yet? I’m guessing many of us are still finalizing things, so I thought I’d bring you a list of 20 great ham recipes from around the web, perfect for your Easter dinner table. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of these!!Continue reading “20 Ham Recipes” »

Welcome to a three-week series on delicious “mocktails” you can easily make at home…no mixology experience required! All you need are quality juices, fresh herbs and a few beautiful, glass bottles with pretty tops. I purchased mine at IKEA (they are pictured above) and have been quite pleased so far (note: these recipes are made for this size bottle so use this as an excuse to stock up!). Also, I recently discovered that many of the juices at Trader Joe’s are not only cost effective, but high quality as well. The 100% pineapple juice can’t be beat, nor can the $2 orange juice; both found in the refrigerated section. In fact, all of the ingredients in this recipe can be purchased at TJ’s, making it a one-stop shop.

One of my favorites in this series is this Tropical Refresher. The mint adds a nice kick, which makes me crave Summertime. This year, I would be a-okay with skipping Spring, in order to jump right into warm weather and cool drinks. In the meantime, I will be making this again soon to tide myself over. Enjoy!

Cauliflower is all the rage right now. Cauliflower recipes are popping up everywhere! I am happy about that because cauliflower is one of my very favorite vegetables.

If you want to join the cauliflower club, you’ve come to the right place because today I am sharing 10 MUST MAKE cauliflower recipes. Cauliflower is so versatile, you can enjoy it in so many different ways!